OTTAWA, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Opposition leaders said that
neither Russia nor the United States listened to Canada because
of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's approach to
foreign policy and what they said was an abandonment of
multilateralism.

Justin Trudeau of the Liberals and Thomas Mulcair of the New
Democrats said on Monday during a televised debate that Harper
had marginalized Canada's influence abroad. They face an
election on Oct. 19.

Harper responded that he would press Canada's interests in
international trade negotiations and in discussions with the
United States, and he also stressed the importance of standing
up to terrorism and Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Both opponents accused Harper of souring relations with U.S.
President Barack Obama by predicting Washington would eventually
end up approving TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL oil
pipeline to the United States.

"It's very difficult to see how Canada's superior interests
were being served when Prime Minister Harper said to President
Obama that it was a complete no-brainer, that the Americans had
to approve Keystone XL," Mulcair said.

Trudeau belittled Harper's confrontation with Vladimir Putin
at last November's G20 summit when he told the Russian president
to leave Ukraine.

"Canada has such a diminished voice on the world stage that
Mr. Harper hasn't noticed that Vladimir Putin didn't listen to
him when he told him to get out of Ukraine," he said.
Continued...